Vermont hit by severe flooding, evacuations after heavy rains
Mandatory evacuations were ordered for residents in parts of Vermont as severe flooding damaged homes and destroyed roads.
Damien Henderson, Storyful
MONTPELIER, Vt. – Stunned and drenched residents paddled through the main streets of Vermont's capital city Tuesday after torrential rains pounded the Northeast, causing deadly and devastating flooding that has already caused tens of millions of dollars in damage across the state.
The onslaught — up to 9 inches of rain in parts of Vermont — toppled radio towers used to dispatch emergency vehicles. Police, fire and public works crews moved to a water treatment plant in a nearby town due to heavy flooding in the basement of the police station, city hall and fire station.
President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in the state. Vermont Gov. Phil Scott warned residents that waters were still rising early Tuesday.
“We are not out of the woods,” he told a news conference. “This is nowhere.”
Residents grabbed pets and made it to higher ground. Authorities said they had carried out more than 175 rescues by Tuesday night, including dozens from flooded buildings, homes and cars.
There were no reports of injuries or deaths.
National Guard helicopters were also conducting evacuations in remote areas that water rescue teams could not access, and many were still being deployed Tuesday night.
For those who made it to safety, once the waters began to recede, what remained was worry and anxiety about what the waters had taken and what would be left behind.
“It was just 'wow.' It becomes real when you see it,” said Alaina Beauregard, 19, who paddled a green canoe through downtown Montpellier just before noon Tuesday in search of gas.
In places the smell of paint thinner and garbage hung heavy in the air.
Flood waters typically contain a toxic stew of chemicals drawn from flooded buildings, from gasoline and paint to sewage and household cleaners. These Vermont waters were no different.
The flooding hit at the height of Vermont's summer tourist season, and many locals worried it would pose another challenge to already struggling local businesses.
Beauregard and Gavin Young, 18, were sitting at home when they realized that without gas, they wouldn't be able to get anywhere once the waters receded.
“We are witnessing a powerful act of nature,” Young said. “Being able to canoe down the streets we grew up on? It's an amazing feeling, but then you see all the stores under water and all the damaged merchandise.”
Across the small town, fire alarms rang as shop owners scrambled to gain access to their properties and mourned the devastation.
Kelly Tackett, who owns the Minikin children's store on State Street, said she let her catastrophic insurance policy lapse last month because business was so slow. “What can I do; It's wild. It's eerie. But somehow I'm not overly worried, because what can I do?' Tackett said. “I didn't take the warnings seriously at first. It didn't even cross my mind to do it, but luckily I dragged my kids down and we lifted everything up two feet.”
She said business has been slow for months and these could be the last days for her store. She couldn't wade through the floodwaters to see her business, but asked a reporter to take some photos and send them back to her. “Looking at the pictures is really awful,” he said later. “I'm still in tears looking at them. This was my dream store, I finally decided to buy it and opened during COVID. These pictures make me realize that this is probably the end of Minikin. I worked so hard to bring it to life. “
By 1:30 p.m., a steady stream of water was rushing past the state's iconic Capitol building. As the waters began to recede Tuesday, officials were able to begin assessing the damage and possible cleanup efforts.
While the river level at a dam just upstream appeared to be stable, officials said it remains a concern for the city.
Roads were flooded in much of the northeast
Across the region, nearly 4 million people were under flood warnings, watches or alerts, including parts of New York, New Hampshire and Maine.
Six rapid water rescue teams were activated in New York state, where rainfall totals in some areas exceeded 8 inches and road closures swept through Orange, Westchester, Ulster, Putnam, Dutchess and Rockland counties. New York Governor Kathy Hotchul declared a state of emergency for Orange and Ontario counties.
The only flood-related death was reported in New York's Hudson Valley, where police said Pamela Nugent, 43, died as she tried to escape her flooded home with her dog in the town of Fort Montgomery, 50 miles north of New York. York.
But on Tuesday, Vermont bore the brunt of the deluge. Several miles of Interstate 89 were closed for hours in both directions between the capital city of Montpelier and Middlesex.
In Montpelier, people were urged to call dispatchers only in “an extreme emergency” because first responders were “spread too thin” and at “maximum capacity.”
Biden authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief, seeking to alleviate hardship and suffering. Scott, the governor, said the declaration covering all 14 counties allows state and federal authorities more flexibility to deploy desperately needed equipment and resources.
Crews from North Carolina, Michigan and Connecticut were among those helping rescuers reach Vermont towns cut off by flooding.
With the waters receding later Tuesday, Montpelier City Manager Bill Fraser said the city is moving into recovery mode and public works officials are expected to begin cleanup Wednesday morning. Building inspections will begin as soon as businesses can clear their properties.
“The dam didn't spill. The water in the dam is still up there, but it's stabilized. We feel the water coming over the dam spillway is not an immediate threat,” Fraser said. “It looks like it won't be breached. That's good. That's one less thing to have on our front burner.”
'Heartbreaking to watch': Vermonters mourn widespread damage
By noon, the water had begun to recede and the dam was holding. What was left was the damage.
“It's heartbreaking to see,” said Ellen Surdell, 59, who fled Hurricane Irene in 2011 and said this was worse. She and her husband live on a hill outside of Montpellier, but they came to town to help evict her friends.
“This is worse. There's a lot more water, a lot more people affected here in central Vermont. No one was hurt, which is good, but this is peak tourist season and it will take a few weeks to clean up. I fear some of the businesses may not survive,” he said.
Troy Caruso, who owns a golf course, five restaurants and a motel in Ludlow, Vermont, is monitoring the damage to his properties and elsewhere in the town of about 800. A supermarket and a shopping center were “wiped out,” he said, as was a steakhouse and possibly a burger joint he owned.
“It's flooded beyond belief,” Caruso said, noting that the golf course's 10th hole was under water.
Vermont State Representative Kelly Pajala said she was among several people evacuated from a four-unit apartment building on the West River in Londonderry.
“The river was on our doorstep,” he said. “We threw some dry clothes and our cats in the car and drove to higher ground.”
While the region is expected to be dry on Wednesday, more rain and storms are expected on Thursday, the National Weather Service said.
A few additional inches of rain are possible across much of Vermont, eastern New York and neighboring New Hampshire, which could worsen flooding, the weather service said Tuesday.
Travelers who think twice about a post-flood trip have some options.
Those who have a reservation on the vacation rental platform Airbnb can cancel through the website or mobile app. Travelers can find the cancellation policy and options for their booking in the Travel section.
Airbnb also has an extenuating circumstances policy which covers natural disasters, local or national emergencies declared by the government and other unforeseen interruptions. “Guests affected by an event covered by this Policy may cancel their reservation and receive, depending on the circumstances, a cash refund, travel credit and/or other consideration,” the platform said on its website.
Where this policy applies, it supersedes the cancellation policy, although it does not cover “weather or physical conditions common enough to be foreseeable at this location”, among other exclusions. The policy also does not apply to Luxe bookings, which have a separate refund policy.
After travelers review the extenuating circumstances policy to see if their booking is covered, they can select “I have an extenuating circumstance” while canceling the stay or experience and contact Airbnb to file a claim. Guests must submit their claim within 14 days of cancellation.
Those who have booked with Vrbo can cancel through My Trips after logging into their account. They can find the accommodation's cancellation policy in the Travel Details section. Refunds are issued based on the property's cancellation policy.
“If a natural disaster, such as a hurricane, earthquake or tornado, affects your reservation and you need immediate help finding alternative accommodations, please contact us,” Vrbo said on its website. Those who have not yet left for their trip should contact their host.
Contributing: Nathan Diller, USA TODAY; April Barton, Burlington Free Press; The Associated Press
